Less than one month after former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem retired Brock Lesnar, UFC newcomer and former Strikeforce product Lavar Johnson notched an impressive first-round finish of the durable Joey Beltran.

The bout served as the evening’s first of six UFC on FOX 2 preliminary card contests to air on FUEL TV and took place at Chicago’s United Center.

Beltran started with intensity, refusing to touch gloves as the fight got underway. Shortly after, a “Big” Johnson right hand to the body saw Beltran crumple against the cage.

The durable Beltran battled back to his feet and eventually created space, but Johnson’s 24-pound wight advantage was immediately evident. Beltran looked for a few takedowns, but Johnson simply shucked his opponent off and established a stiff jab for the better part of the round.

In the closing minute, Johnson unleashed his right hand behind the jab, and four huge uppercuts put Beltran out on his feet. It was only Johnson’s punches that were keeping him upright, and when he stopped striking, Beltran fell to the canvas.

The impressive finish came at the 4:24 mark of the opening round.

With the win, Johnson (16-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) snaps a two-fight losing streak and hands Beltran his first career knockout loss.

“Beltran is the real deal,” Johnson said. “He’s as tough and powerful as everyone said he was. I landed some hard shots, and he stayed in there. I stayed calm and composed and picked my shots, and I knew one would eventually land where I needed it to. I knew I had him when I got him with that uppercut, and I just kept putting it on him until he dropped.

“This win shows that the Strikeforce heavyweights belong here. We’re all on the same level, and now we’re getting a chance to prove it. And the fans are the ones benefitting from it the most because they’re getting to see action like this.”

Beltran (13-7 MMA, 3-4 UFC) is now just 1-4 in his past five fights and may need to consider the 205-pound class if he hopes to remain in the octagon.

“When you fight the way I fight, this is bound to happen,” Beltran said. “I’ve gained a lot of fans, but I run this risk of having this happen. I only know one way to fight, and I’ll always fight this way.

“I had a great camp for this fight. No excuses for this. I felt great and only weighed around 230 (pounds) after eating. So, a drop to 205 is a realistic possibility for me. I’ll get together with my team, and we’ll figure out where to go from here.”

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